Willingdon Crescent

General

Across the road from Darbar Gadh is Willingdon Crescent, a product of Jam Ranjitsinhji’s attempt to remove the congested slum of then Nawanagar, and replace it with a more modern structure, with flourish and pomp, in keeping with his European infactuation. In the center is a statue of Jam Digvijaysinhji on horseback.

The crescent is now a shopping area, so if you’re looking for the traditional bandhani fabric that Jamnagar is famous for, for example, and find yourself without time to purchase it directly from the artist, you can definitely buy it here. And if you’ve bought more items than will fit in your bags, you can also buy another suitcase, such is the surprising range of products in the crescent.

How to get there

By road: Jamnagar is 92 km from Rajkot. State transport buses and private luxury coaches connect Jamnagar with various centres of Gujarat. If you’re coming from Rajkot on bus, the bus passes right through town before reaching the bus station, so you can ask to be let off at Bedi Gate.

By rail: There are daily trains on the Western Railway with direct connections to Ahmedabad.

By air: There is an airport 10 km from town, so it’s a relatively inexpensive rickshaw or taxi ride. Various domestic airlines connect Jamnagar to Mumbai.